Tensions came a boiling point on May 2 at a special meeting of Hastings Highlands council when former mayor Ron Emond challenged the integrity of council’s decision to terminate curb-side garbage collection service, dating back to Jan. 1, 2015.

A consortium of consulting firms has deemed the proposed Earth Sciences Centre a good fit for Bancroft, based on the town’s position as the Mineral Capital of Canada. It’s known nationally and internationally for its unique geology. The study, unveiled on Monday, also suggests that the centre could become an economic engine for the area, attracting both tourists and serious geologists to explore the land and its resources through the agency of the centre’s programs and research facilities.

On Wednesday, June 22 and 23, 22 teams comprised of students in Grades 5 to 8 at York River Public School competed in the first ever Spike-A-Mania. Spike-A-Mania was a two day long Spikeball tournament run by Mr. Beauchamp at York River Public School. There were four divisions for Spike-A-Mania; a boys and girls division for the juniors Grade 5 and 6, and boys and girls division for intermediate. The Junior Good Team and The Fireballs won the junior divisions while the French Spikeballers and the Dank Team won the intermediate divisions. Congratulations to Johanna Hill and Ray Redmond for winning Spikeball sets through a random drawing of participant names. Despite some clouds and cool winds in the morning a great was had by all.

In June, one of the greatest athletes of all time died – Muhammad Ali. He changed boxing forever. Ali didn’t simply change the sport, he changed the world. He did so by standing on principle. In fact, he gave up the heavyweight boxing title and sacrificed the peak years of his career for it.

I am a tax payer in the Town of Bancroft and in Faraday Township. I am very plugged in to the happenings in Bancroft and the surrounding area and am a keen observer of the local media, politics and economy.